Thomas Joseph Jost
Marriages
Barbara Ipsan - July 1954
Obituaries
Vail Daily page A18 - January 23, 2021
Thomas Joseph Jost, 89, of Vail, Colorado, died Saturday, January 9, 2021 at his home. Because of the circumstances surrounding Covid, the family wishes to have his Celebration of Life in the future. Teahen Funeral Home is serving the family. Thomas is survived by his brother, William V. (Carol) Jost of Guttenberg; his daughter, Rebecca (Gary) Klein of Cedar Rapids; his grandchildren, Katrina (Jeremiah) Hopkins-Benning, Anthony (Robin) Benning, Macaley (Don) Johnsen, Anna (Jackson) Cover, Mariah (Tanner) Unkel, Gabriel (Amanda) Reed, Rachel (Thomas) Reed and Jacob (Kaylie) Reed. He was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Therese Cox; grandson, Joshua Jost; and brother, James Jost. Thomas was born on December 1, 1932 in Cedar Rapids, son of Vernard and Muriel Seulemmer Jost and graduated in 1951 from St. Patrick High School. In July 1954, Thomas married Barbara Ipsan. He graduated in 1958 from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, and joined the U.S. Army Internship program as 1st Lt., at Madigan General Hospital, Tacoma, Washington. In July 1959 Thomas graduated first in his class and was promoted to Captain, beginning a tour of duty at Fort Lawton Hospital, Seattle, WA (1959-1961.) Thomas was then stationed at the 97th General Hospital, Frankfort, Germany (1961-1964), promoted to Major, and received the Army Commendation Medal for Service. He continued at Brook Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX and Georgetown University, Washington D.C. (1965-1966.) From 1966 to 1968 Thomas was re-assigned to Walter Reed General Hospital for his residency in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and promoted to Lt. Colonel. He was then stationed at the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Bin, Vietnam as Chief of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery. While in Vietnam, he was awarded the Bronze Star with Four Oak Leaf Clusters for valor. Thomas was next assigned to the Republic of Panama, U.S. Canal Zone, Gorgis Hospital as the Chief of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery. During that tour he removed a cancerous jaw bone of a Columbian girl and replaced it with a cadaver bone which was considered at that time to be the largest such replacements in the world. In February 1972 he completed the American Board of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery and was assigned to Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, CO as the Assistant Chief of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, and began teaching residents in the field. In 1973 Thomas completed the American Society of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery exam and was promoted to Colonel, becoming the Chief of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery at Fitzsimons General Hospital (1974.) After retiring from the U.S. Army Dental Corps and obtaining the Legion of Merit for his outstanding service (1979) Thomas moved to Vail, CO and began private practice until full retirement in March 1995. He always said that he truly loved his work and the people he helped. Thomas enjoyed photography, political and computer science and carpentry. He loved skiing, martial arts and mountain biking. Memorials may be directed to the family. Online condolences can be left at http://www.teahenfuneralhome.com.
